LISTEN NOW: COVID-19 and Social Connections

Normal routines around the world have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the most significant areas of impact is the change in how people connect. Social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders have been implemented to stop the spread of the virus, and have led to a need for all interactions to go virtual.

In this episode of Michigan Minds, Marcus Collins, lecturer at Michigan Ross, discusses the impact COVID-19 is having on our social communications—from how people are connecting, to how brands have reacted, to how Collins is now interacting with his students.

“I think that in moments where our ‘normal’ has been disrupted, we tend to go to our most primal selves, and this is all about connecting. People are connecting in ways that are more pronounced than before,” says Collins.

He adds that information and communication technologies are serving as the facilitator of relationships, and explains that these tools have reduced what would previously have been a “decaying of relationships” between people.

“This is digital at its finest,” says Collins.

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